Cover art - Mike (Remember that car I was talking about? Turns out it was a police car. They raided my house just now and hauled me away. I'm in their car as we speak. Pretty cramped in here, but at least I can get this uploaded)

Chapter 14 - Unholy Trinity

For two days, Jaune pestered Pyrrha by constantly asking if she was experiencing any faunus symptoms. For two days, Pyrrha always responded with no. Jaune kept a close eye on her, monitoring her progress. He knew it was only a matter of time before her inner faunus was unleashed, and he wanted to be the first to witness it.

On the third day, before he could check up on her, Pyrrha came rushing up to him wearing a black bow atop her head.

"There! There! You see!" she panted. "I couldn't find anywhere that sells the rest of the outfit, but I'm wearing the bow! I'm a faunus now! Ta-da!"

Jaune covered his mouth. Proud tears glistened in his eyes. "I don't believe it!" he squeaked. "You transformed faster than I did. You must've embraced the faunus gene right away. Truly, you are the shining pinnacle of acceptance, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha gave a nervous chuckled. "Yep, that's me. Just another open-minded, freshly-baked faunus. Go Team Faunus - if that's something we call ourselves."

"How does it feel?" he pressed. "Don't you just feel ready to burst with purpose and resolve?"

"Yeah, yeah, all of that. It feels very… faunus-ey?"

"Oh my God, that's exactly the word I used!" Jaune screamed with joy. "You've taken to this like a duck to water. Soon you'll be converting people left and right."

"Yeah, can't wait. Vive la révolution and all that."

She sounded unconvinced. Jaune knew it was just first nerves.

"Okay, I know you must have a million questions right now, so we'll take you to Blake. She'll fill you in on all things faunus," he said.

Her smile was strained. It must've been difficult containing all that excitement.

He dragged her to Blake, who was in her room looking up affordable mouse traps on her scroll. She was just as thrilled as he was when she saw Pyrrha's improvement.

"Well golly-gee, I never expected this," Blake cheered. "Good to see you choosing to walk the path of the faunus too, Pyrrha."

"Yeah, um, sure. Glad to be a part of it," Pyrrha said.

"What made you embrace the calling? What compelled you to join our ranks?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "Jaune just opened my eyes, I guess? He showed me the way."

Jaune patted her back. "All you needed was a nudge in the right direction. It's how Blake helped me."

"I can't believe how much progress has been made recently," Blake said. "It's so nice to finally be surrounded by such like-minded people."

Pyrrha muttered something neither of them could make out, then said out loud, "So what happens now? What do we faunus-inclined people do? Do we have meetings or something? What are the rules?"

"Most of the time we read books and complain about human government officials," Jaune told her. "Who's your least favourite human in power?"

Pyrrha's face blanked. "Uh… I hear Jacques Schnee is up to no good."

A collective groan from Jaune and Blake rang through the room. "Oh my god, don't even get me started on that ass-clown!" Blake said. "If we ever discover a Grimm species that takes human form, we should legally name it 'Jacques Schnee', though that might be unfair to the Grimm."

"The thought of him completely ruins my yoga," Jaune growled. "The stuff he's been able to get away with just because he has a moustache and a lot of money... why, it's enough to make even the calmest of waters churn into a raging whirlpool!"

"Weiss is quite spectacular for never adopting his ways," Pyrrha nodded. "I've heard tales of what it's like in those dust mines. His labour practices are atrocious."

"Completely," Blake agreed. "You should totally knock him out."

Pyrrha's face dropped. "Uh…"

"I agree," Jaune said. "If anyone can bruise his face, ego and reputation all at the same time, it'll be the Champion of Mistral herself."

"Knock that stupid moustache right off his face, Pyrrha," Blake encouraged.

"Hold on, slow down a minute!" Pyrrha said. "I know I said I don't like the man, but I'm not about to start punching people because of that."

"Come on, it'll be easy," Blake insisted. "Weiss can smuggle you into her home, then you can walk up to him and then BLAM! The only dust he'll have will be the dust from his pulverised skull."

"As your leader, I approve of this," Jaune said.

"Well, I do not!" Pyrrha said. "And neither should you two. I thought you were a peaceful group?"

"Good point," Jaune hummed. "Okay, fair enough. How about you just use your fame and influence to have others attack him? We may be peaceful, but that doesn't mean others are."

"We can allow the people one last chance at violence before we teach them peace," Blake smiled.

"I'm a teenage celebrity with a cereal box sponsorship," Pyrrha said. "I'm not sure how much influence you think that gives me, but it's not enough to rally people to punch one of the richest, most powerful men on Remnant."

"Sounds like you just need a good publicist," Blake said. "Don't worry, I'll write your campaign speech for you. I'm a great writer. I read."

"Look, I still don't agree with advocating violence," Pyrrha said. "It's not the, uh… it's not the faunus way."

Both Jaune and Blake felt like they had been shot. They gasped loudly and clutched their chests. Pyrrha, not feeling particularly dramatic, did not gasp or clutch her chest.

"My God, you're right," Jaune wheezed. "What were we thinking? We nearly went completely against our own philosophy."

"I am so ashamed of me," Blake whispered. "This is, like, the worst introduction we could give you, Pyrrha. Please forgive us."

"It's fine?" Pyrrha said. "It's no big deal, I was just making a point."

"This is why we need someone like you," Jaune said. "Someone as intelligent and rational as you are perfect for a peaceful movement."

"Thank you."

"You'll make a perfect negotiator."

Pyrrha cringed. "Please don't call me that."

"What? Why not?"

"Just don't. Please."

"I shouldn't have been so quick to jump on the violence bandwagon," Blake said. "I should've known better, considering all that I went through with the White Fang. If there was one thing they taught me, it's that violence is never the answer."

"You can't blame yourself," Jaune said.

"I don't, but some of their ways are still ingrained in my instincts. You get so caught up in all the ways humans oppress us, that you forget that there are faunus out there just as bad - maybe even worse."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. The current White Fang leader, Adam Taurus? You'd hate him. He's a walking disaster, destroying everything in his path without care. A ruthless warmonger. We used to date because I think bad boys are sexy, but being a terrorist is a little too bad for my liking."

"I can't believe it," Jaune tutted. "It's people like that that give the faunus a bad name."

"He's the vilest person I've ever had the misfortune to know. The White Fang used to be the good guys, but then he got in charge and screwed everything up. If anyone deserves to be punched in the face, it's him. Wait a minute..."

Pyrrha didn't like the way Blake's face looked. It looked like she was coming up with an idea, which knowing her, would be bad for all of them.

She wore a sly grin when she was done thinking. "I dunno where to find Jacques Schnee, but I know where Adam is. Wanna go pay him a visit?"

Jaune's 'yes' came as quickly as Pyrrha's 'no'.

"I told you, I'm not beating up people just because you don't like them," Pyrrha said.

"Trust me, this guy deserves it," Blake said. "The last time we met, he tried to blow up a train full of innocent people. He doesn't deserve your sympathy."

"He's a terrorist leader, Pyrrha," Jaune followed up. "We'd be doing the world a favour by smacking him around a bit."

"This is also the chance for me to bury the past, get a clean slate and remove my violent urges," Blake reasoned.

"This doesn't sound very peaceful to me," Pyrrha said.

"Trust me, we are peaceful," Blake said. "But if there was one thing the White Fang taught me, it's that violence is sometimes the answer. Come on, you know we're in the right here."

Pyrrha was conflicted. It was tempting, but she didn't sign up to become a huntress to pick fights with people. Grimm were one thing, but people could be reasoned with.

Still, she was aware of all the atrocities committed under the White Fang's name. What they were suggesting could be seen as justice…

"Fine, I'm in," she relented with a sigh. "But this isn't becoming a regular thing."

"Excellent," Blake beamed. "Grab your weapons and meet me at the courtyard. Here's to peace!"

Jaune and Blake both cheered 'to peace!', with Pyrrha hesitantly joining them.

[/]

Adam Taurus would happily admit he wasn't a patient man. He was a man of action by nature. But he knew when to be patient, which was good enough for him. He knew when to bide his time, to wait for events to unfold by themselves.

Was it frustrating to sit back and do nothing until then? Of course. But he could do it, which was all that mattered in the end.

He sat in his large tent, reading the latest update from their most recent ally. Even after all this time, he hated referring to a human by that term, especially to one as smug as her. His right-hand man, Banesaw, stood nearby as always, guarding the entrance.

"Any news from the woman, sir?" came his gruff voice.

"She and her lackeys have infiltrated Beacon posing as transfer students from Haven," he said. "She plans to upload a virus to the CCT tower when the time is right."

"And when will that be?"

"She didn't specify."

A low growl rumbled from behind the large man's mask.

"My thoughts exactly," Adam agreed. "I don't like this any more than you do. But our time will come soon."

"I don't trust her."

"Is that fear I hear in your voice, Banesaw?"

"Not fear, sir - merely concern. Putting our lot in with this woman, investing our resources to fuel her efforts. How do we know we aren't wasting our time? How do we she isn't leading us all into a trap?"

"If her cover is blown before she can follow through with the rest of her plan, she's the one who takes the fall," Adam said. "She needs us. As well-connected as she might be, she needs our forces. It isn't in her best interests to turn us against her."

"Do you believe she will succeed?"

"I believe she will leave enough room for us to leave our mark, even if she does fail."

"She is arrogant."

"What human isn't?" Adam scoffed. "You are right to doubt her, Banesaw. But make no mistake - we're the ones using her. She's the one having to do all the work. We just need her to create enough chaos for us to slip in."

"Still, the idea of working with a human… it unnerves me," Banesaw said. "I'm almost hoping she does something to betray us. I'd relish the chance to carve that pompous look off her face."

Adam smiled. "If she does, you're free to do with her as you wish. I only ask that you let me know beforehand. I've no doubt it'll be an amusing sight to see."

"She will know the true consequences of her actions before I remove her head from her body," Banesaw vowed.

A voice came from above. "More women trouble, Adam? You've just got no luck with us, have you?"

A special kind of anger suddenly surged through Adam's body. The kind of anger only one person could create. And that was her voice he was hearing…

Blake Belladonna burst through the roof of the tent, landing before them. His anger grew when he saw her grinning.

"Adam, it's been too long," she mocked. "Still camping out in the woods, are we? That's great. You know, if you enjoy bedbugs crawling into your sleeping bag, and going to the bathroom in a trench. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you'd love that."

Adam unsheathed his blade. "Blake!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "You must have a death wish to stand before me after what you did!"

"You mean that thing with the train? I thought you'd've moved on from that by now."

"You abandoned me!"

"'Abandoned' is a strong word, don't you think? Most people call it 'dumping' these days."

"How did you even find us? We moved camp since last time."

"Oh, that was easy. I just followed the smell of bullshit until it brought me here."

"I can't tell if that's an insult about my faunus traits or not, but either way, you will suffer for this!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep preaching. I'm sure one of these drones will listen to you." She turned her gaze to Banesaw. "Speaking of which, hi, Benny. Is that a new mask? Love the red streaks. Did you paint them on yourself?"

Banesaw revved up his chainsaw. "You will not speak that name!" he snarled. "That name died in the past, alongside my former self. I am not that man anymore. I am reborn."

"Really? Because I reckon if I take off that mask, I'll see Benny Bubblenickle's face. The giant pimple on your chin's a dead giveaway."

"That name means nothing to me! I am Banesaw, and you will address me as such!"

"But Banesaw's doesn't have a ring to it. And I like the name Benny."

"Be careful who you mock, girl!"

"Can I call you Bane-y instead?"

"Enough!" Adam barked. "The only reason I haven't killed you right now is that I want to know why you are here. After your betrayal, I never expected to see you again. I can only pray for your sake that you're here to apologise."

Blake winked. "You got me. That's exactly why I'm here. I need your forgiveness, Adam. If I don't, I'm gonna feel really bad for the rest of the day."

"Your tone could use more respect, but I'm willing to be merciful, if only because I remember what we used to have."

"You sweet-talker, you."

"So long as you swear your loyalty to our cause, and to me, I will be willing to forgive your insubordination."

That damn grin again! "Swear loyalty?" she chuckled. "Oh, Adam, no, that's not what this is about at all. I'm here to apologise for what I'm about to do."

"Which is?"

"I'm about to start punching you. Really hard. Mostly in the face. If you surrender now, I promise to avoid your balls, but you're still gonna have enough bruises to make you look like a dalmatian when I'm done."

Now it was his turn to laugh. Even Banesaw managed a chuckle, which translates into one of his more softer grunts. "You cannot be serious."

"I am seriously serious."

"You come into my camp, you mock me in front of my men, and now you seek to threaten. Do you honestly think I can forgive this transgression?"

"Well, I don't care about the other two offences, but if you can forgive me for beating you up, that'd be great."

"You don't stand a chance," he spat. The joke had lost its humour. "I taught you everything you know about fighting. Your skill pales before mine. You'd be better off running."

"I like my chances."

Banesaw's chainsaw roared as he revved it again. "I've had enough of this!" he growled. "Every word that comes out of your traitorous mouth only makes this easier. Your severed head will serve as a warning to all who challenge the White Fang."

"This is how it ends for you, my darling," Adam said. "We could've reshaped this world together. But you sealed your fate when you came here alone and goaded us. Your death is your own doing."

He wanted to feel some shred of sympathy for her. But it was impossible when she was still smiling with that insufferable attitude. She didn't even reach for her own weapon.

She crossed her arms. "You know, that whole thing about wanting your forgiveness was really just a courtesy call," she said. "I'm still breaking your face with or without your pardons. Oh, and one more thing… I'm not alone."

As if on cue, another person stepped into the tent to join her. A blond boy, broadsword on his hip and… dressed like her?

His smile matched hers. "Oh good, you haven't started yet," he said to her. "I was beginning to think I would miss out on the fun."

"No chance. He has enough bones for everyone to break," she said.

"Who the hell is this?" Adam roared.

"Name's Jaune," the boy said. "I've heard a lot about you, Mr Taurus. I gotta say, you don't look like a terrorist. With that outfit, I'd have you pegged for a butler or something."

Adam's entire body trembled with fury. "I will hesitate to kill Blake, but I will have no qualms butchering you, boy," he seethed.

"Shame, because I have one or two qualms about getting butchered, especially by a butler. I take it Blake's told you about the smackdown that's about to go down, yes?"

"Shut up!" he raged. "How did you even get here? I can understand Blake sneaking her way here, but you? How did you get past my soldiers?"

"Oh, they've been dealt with. Take a look."

Jaune opened the tent's flap, and Adam saw his entire unit piled up on the ground, unconscious but alive. Atop the mountain of people stood a celebrity even he recognised.

"Pyrrha Nikos?" he gasped.

She jumped down from the pile, and Adam saw that she too wore a familiar black bow on her head. "I would say sorry for what I did to your soldiers, but in my defence, you are quite the villain," she said, at least trying to sound polite. "If it helps, this wasn't what I had planned to do today."

Adam's eyes darted back to Blake. "What is this nonsense? You left us to start a damn cult?" he said.

"A cult?" she scoffed. "Please. We are merely advocates of equality and acceptance. We have no leaders. We follow only the path of peace." She cracked her knuckles and growled, "And we're here to help you get real peaceful."

Her words were a command to her other two helpers. The three of them started to advance slowly towards them. They moved like hungry wolves cornering prey.

"This is the part I've been waiting for," Jaune said with delight. "Remind me to thank you, Pyrrha, for those hand-to-hand combat lessons. I think they're about to be useful."

Pyrrha ignored him and said to Adam, "This isn't personal. Well, maybe a little, but it's mostly obligation on my part."

Adam and Banesaw carefully moved back. The trio was approaching them from all angles.

"Steady," Adam murmured to his only ally left. Blake and her cult had them trapped. There was nowhere for them to retreat too. He pushed back the last bit of doubt in his mind, and forced his sword hand to stop wobbling.

Banesaw revved his chainsaw louder than ever as a warning. It did nothing to slow them down.

"Pretty sparks," Jaune cooed.

Damn them all.

"They have us surrounded," Banesaw said.

"We can take them!" Adam snapped. His back finally hit the wall of the tent.

"I can buy you some time, sir. I will draw their attacks. You can escape in the skirmish."

"There will be no fleeing!" Adam snarled. "We will stand and fight!"

"Then it has been an honour, sir."

"We're not dead yet!"

"No," Blake purred. "Not yet."

The tent fell silent. A single drop of sweat trickled down Adam's forehead, past his mask, then dripped down onto the floor. He heard the soft 'ping' it made as it splashed.

And then they descended on him.

[/]

The three warriors of peace were back in Team RWBY's room, celebrating their victory. Each of them was admiring the battle trophies they had taken, the spoils they earned for a successful fight.

Jaune twirled his new katana in his hand. "Oh yeah. This is exactly the kind of katana I was talking about needing, Pyrrha," he said adoringly. "I don't even care that it's red and not black. The scabbard's a freaking gun! I have a gun now! Isn't that great?"

Pyrrha sighed. "I understand why we had to punch him out like that, but did we really have to rob him too? That seemed a bit unnecessary."

"It wasn't unnecessary at all. I've finally got the katana I wanted, and you look absolutely killer in that coat if I do say so myself."

Pyrrha had taken the butler coat Adam had been wearing. She was against it at first, but after insisting that it looked great on her, she kept it. Even though she was still feeling conflicted, he could tell his compliments were having an effect on her.

"Aaaaand done!" Blake announced, looking up from Adam's scroll that she had in her hand. "Every picture of me on this thing is now deleted. The only memories he'll have of me now is of me stomping his face in."

"Awesome," Jaune said. "What are you gonna do with the scroll now? You gonna throw it away?"

"I think I'll hold onto it for now. I heard him talking about some woman infiltrating Beacon or whatever. I'll look through his messages to see what that's all about."

"He's probably stalking someone else. The creep."

"Probably. But regardless, having beaten up my ex and taking his property, I've now buried my past. I hereby declare myself redeemed, and I am now officially a better person."

Jaune gave her a small applause, to which she graciously accepted.

"You must be thrilled," Pyrrha grunted, rolling her eyes.

"Redemption is fun," Jaune smiled. "We gotta do it again sometime."

"This is the best," Blake agreed. "It's amazing what you can accomplish with the right people. What do you wanna do next? We're on a roll here."

"Maybe we can take a step back from the violence this time?" Pyrrha suggested.

"Funny you should mention that," Jaune said. "As it just so happens, I've recently come up with a plan for world peace that I know is gonna work."

Blake gasped. "You have a plan for world peace? Seriously? Jaune, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You were so hyped up about beating up your ex, I didn't wanna steal your thunder."

"Aww, Jaune," she blushed.

"But I think now's the right time. Pyrrha knows what I'm talking about with this plan. Right, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha hid her face in her hands.

Blake edged closer to him. "Come on, don't keep me in suspense. How are we gonna do it?"

Jaune felt like the smartest man on Remnant. He had been looking forward to sharing his plans for the future. "The problem with us right now is that we're too small," he explained. "We're already an influential force for good, but there's still only three of us. We need to think bigger. If we're gonna change the world, then we need more people to join our cause."

"Are you talking about persuading people to join us?"

"I'm talking about converting people. Just like how you did with me, and how I did with Pyrrha. If we do it on a globe-wide scale, all the kingdoms will finally be unified. Actual world peace. It's everything we could've dreamed of, and it's finally within our grasp."

Blake stroked her chin. "Globewide, eh? That's a pretty big undertaking. I'll be honest, I'm not sure I could handle that."

Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. "You underestimate your influence," he said comfortingly. "Look how quickly I transformed because of you. Pyrrha only took a couple of days. This is gonna work, Blake. It'll take a while, sure. But when was the road to peace ever easy?"

"I don't know, Jaune. I don't think I'm that influential..."

"Blake, just look at us. Look what became of me and Pyrrha because of you. You are the source of our change."

Her bow twitched and her eyes widened. "I am?"

"You are," he confirmed. "That's how I know that if anyone's gonna transform the people of Remnant, it's you. You're the beginning of all good things, Blake."

Blake looked moved by his words. "I… you're right," she said, speaking like a true warrior. "You're absolutely right, Jaune. If anyone's gonna do this, it's us."

"That's the spirit," he smirked. "We'll spread this to everyone we see."

"When do we start?"

"We can start right now. I'll let you handle your team. Pyrrha and I will take care of ours. After that, I think our next targets should be-"

Jaune paused. He heard big heavy footsteps thundering towards the room. There was even a little growling behind all that stomping. A Grimm attack? Impossible, those things couldn't get within spitting distance of the school. Regardless, everyone prepared for combat.

The door nearly flew off its hinges when Cardin kicked it open. He was steaming like a kettle, face so red that Jaune thought his head was going to pop.

"That's it!" Cardin snarled. "I can't take this anymore! You wackjobs are driving me crazy!"

"Cardin," Jaune cackled, walking over to greet him. "Just the man I wanted to see. I've got great plans for the future, and lucky for you, you're a part of it."

"Your plans can go to hell!" he barked. "You just had to ruin all the fun, didn't you? You couldn't let me have this one thing, could you? Fine! You win! The joke's over! Now will you stop doing this… whatever the hell it is your doing!"

"Peace is no joke, Cardin."

"I said, cut it out!"

"You'll understand soon enough… when I convert you to our cause."

Blake's eyes widened. "Wait, Cardin? You're gonna try and convince the most racist guy in the school to join us?" she cried.

"Don't listen to him. He's an idiot!" Cardin snarled.

"It'll be easy, Blake," Jaune reassured her. "I'll just use the same method you used on me."

"I dunno, Jaune," Blake said. "He's pretty set in his ways."

"He's not gonna be converting anyone!" Cardin roared. "Goddammit, Arc, how can you be this stupid? Were you dropped on your head or something? This was never meant to go this far, for fuck's sake!"

"Indeed. I bet you expected me to fold under your first wave of prejudice," Jaune said. "But I've risen above that. Now you're going to join me. Maybe after you experience first hand the racism faunus face, you'll change your ways."

"Nothing's gonna happen to me, dumbass! I ain't joining your freaky band of weirdos!"

Jaune laughed some more. "Yes, let that denial flow through you. But one bite is all it takes. When I've bitten you, my faunus genes will flow through you, eradicating your humanity, and you'll be one of us! Isn't that right, Blake?"

Jaune waited for Blake to jump to his side, supporting his profound logic. The two of them had faced worse battles than Cardin Winchester. He waited a few more seconds.

Then a few more.

The silence was starting to become a little embarrassing.

Blake did not spring to action. Instead, she regarded him with a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?" she innocently asked him.

Jaune felt his spirit deflate a little. "I'm gonna bite him," he said. "That'll turn him into a faunus and he'll stop being racist and stuff."

"Huh? How would biting him turn him into a faunus?"

"... because that's how it works," he said, trying desperately to jog her memory. "That's how you turned me into a faunus. You bit me during that lesson, remember?"

Blake's frown deepened. "I sincerely have no idea what you're talking about."

"See!" Cardin cried. "Nothing's gonna happen to me! Although I swear to God, if you put your mouth on me, I'm gonna kick your ass so hard, your shits will be shaped like my foot for a week!"

Jaune was completely puzzled. Nothing was making any sense. "I… I don't… what's going on?"

Cardin let out a loud groan. "You can't turn into a faunus by getting bitten by one, you idiot! That's baloney!"

"Sure you can! Look at me! I'm a faunus!"

"No, you're not!"

"Am so!"

"You're not a faunus!"

"You've no proof of that!"

"I don't need proof! I already know it's impossible!"

"Oh yeah?" Jaune huffed. "How would you know?"

"How would I know? Oh my fucking God- BECAUSE I MADE IT ALL UP!"